The Clifton Institute

Creatures of The Night
2024-07-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Join us to look and listen for creatures of the night! Summer is an ideal time to observe several species of katydids, crickets, cicadas and birds. We will also look for beavers, reptiles and amphibians, and other animals! Back at the farm house we will see what kinds of moths and beetles we can attract with black lights. We hope to see you there!
Cost: Free!
Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring a flashlight.
Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event.
COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the last two weeks any symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.).
Registration is REQUIRED.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Piedmont Polliwogs
2024-09-12 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-10-10 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-11-14 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-12-12 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-01-09 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-02-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-03-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-04-10 10:00 - 11:30 and 1 more date | 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors.
The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of each month from 10 to 11:30 on the following dates: September 12, October 10, November 14, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8.
We understand that you may have children outside the 2-5-year-old range that need to come along with you to Polliwogs. You are welcome to keep them with you or for them to entertain themselves during the class. It is also fine with us if slightly older children participate.
When you register below, please register and pay for the number of children you expect to participate in the class each month.
Registration Notes: *If you are purchasing tickets for multiple students, please write all of their names together in the same box, i.e. “Sam, Martie, and Alex Bradshaw” when registering. The form does not give you separate spaces to enter different names for each ticket.*
Cost: $90 per child ($75 for Friends of the Clifton Institute)
Age: Children ages 2-5, accompanied by a caregiver
Bring: Please bring a snack and drink. There will be a snack break.
Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall).
Registration is REQUIRED.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this series, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else. No refunds will be given upon registrant cancellation within 1 month of the program’s start date. No refunds will be given for any missed programs. By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Lawn Lab Grand Opening and Bioblitz
2024-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Grace Miller Elementary School, 6248 Catlett Rd, Bealeton, 22712
This fall the Clifton Institute, in collaboration with Fauquier County Public Schools and the Fauquier County We Need Bees Committee, is beginning an exciting new project: Lawn Lab. This experiment is all about studying what happens to life in lawns that only get mowed once a year instead of every week. Clifton staff along with students from Grace Miller Elementary School and Liberty High School will be collecting data on changes in plant and animal communities that live in a 3-acre lawn on school grounds as 2 of those acres are taken out of the normal mowing schedule. The adjacent acre will get mowed once a week as per usual. This project is a rare example of a win-win-win-win: students will spend time outside learning how to identify native plants and animals and getting hands-on experience doing scientific research, the school campus will become better habitat for pollinators, the county will spend less money and emit less pollution by mowing less often, and the experiment will serve as a demonstration plot to people in the community.
We invite you to join us for a grand opening and bioblitz on October 19. Our goal is to collect baseline data: what plants and animals already call the Lawn Lab home? Once we have this information, we can visit each year and see what new plant and animals show up (or which ones disappear). We don’t expect high diversity this year, but you never know what we’ll find. If you have experience identifying plants and insects, that’s great. If not, we will give you all the training and tools you’ll need. We’ll send participants out in small teams to survey sections of the experimental fields and we’ll keep a leader board running to see who can find the most species! We’ll also have family-friendly activities for the younger naturalists among us.
At 3:30 we’ll take a break to have an official opening ceremony, with snacks, drinks, and brief remarks.
This event is a chance to get in on the ground floor of this exciting project, contribute to science, and join the local community of people who want to learn about and take care of native biodiversity! All ages are welcome; children must be accompanied by a caregiver.
We are grateful to support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Kortlandt Fund, the Warrenton Garden Club, and individual donors for Lawn Lab.
Please park in the Grace Miller Elementary School parking lot. The experimental fields are a very short walk (a couple hundred yards) southeast of the parking lot. There will be signs, but you should be able to see our tables and staff from the parking lots and as you drive in along Catlett Road.
Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. If we need to cancel or postpone, we will also post any updates on our Facebook page.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.

25th The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count
2024-12-15 08:00 - 17:00 | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Join us for the 25th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count this December! Our goal? Count as many birds as we can in our 15-mile-diameter count circle, which includes a variety of habitats–grasslands, forests, lakes, backyards, and even parking lots. There’s always a chance for Short-eared Owl and American Tree Sparrow, and counters get to explore parts of Fauquier county that they might not normally see. Most importantly, we will be contributing to an international community science project reaching back over 120 years which informs bird conservation in North America.
This event is for birders of any experience level. Participating in the Christmas Bird Count is a great way to learn about the winter birds of Virginia and get to know other birdwatchers in the area. In order to cover the entire circle we split into 9 teams. Each team is led by an experienced birder. If you are interested in leading a team, please email Bridget Bradshaw (bbradshaw@cliftoninstitute.org). Depending on the team, you may spend the day walking, driving, or both in order to cover your area. At the end of the day, teams are invited back to the peach farmhouse at Clifton for hot chili, cornbread, and drinks for our tally rally! This is where we have a chance to all get together, count up the birds from the day, and swap stories.
*Please note: Depending on which team you are assigned, you may NOT be meeting at the Clifton Institute in the morning. Team leaders will tell you when and where to meet at the start of the day, which is typically around sunrise.
Cost: Free!
Age: All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring binoculars if available.
Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall).
Registration is REQUIRED.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy. We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Volunteer Day: Tree Trail Cleanup
2025-03-01 13:00 - 16:00 | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
This event is officially part of National Invasive Species Awareness Week! We are proud to partner with Blue Ridge PRISM and many community organizations to bring awareness and education about invasive species.
We have a tree trail we use to teach people about native trees and how their phenology is changing over time due to climate change. Each spring it needs a little work, cleaning up the trail and removing invasive species around the trees we’re studying. All levels of experience welcome.
Cost: Free!
Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring clothing appropriate for the weather, gloves and/or small garden tools if desired.
Weather policy: Date subject to change depending on weather. Please check your email for updates.
Registration is REQUIRED.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Nature Journaling Field Trip
2025-04-19 10:30 - 12:30 | 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. You can always nature journal by yourself, but it can be really fun to go out with other people to get inspired together and see other ways of capturing the same phenomenon on paper. Join us for our first ever nature journaling field trip! In April Co-Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris will be nature journaling at Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve. We’ll meet at the trailhead, journal for a couple of hours, and then com back together to share what we discovered. Eleanor will stick around for a picnic lunch after journaling. More details about where to park and how to meetup will be emailed to registrants closer to the date. Please note that this event is not at the Clifton Institute! Whether you have been nature journaling for years or have never nature journaled before but want to try it out, this event is for you!
Cost: Free!
Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring a journal and art supplies. Just a piece of paper and pencil will be enough.
Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.

Piedmont Polliwogs 2025-26
2025-09-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-10-09 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-11-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-12-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-01-08 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-02-12 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-03-12 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-04-09 10:00 - 11:30 and 1 more date | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors.
The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of each month from 10 to 11:30 on the following dates: September 11, October 9, November 13, December 11, January 8, February 12, March 12, April 9, May 14.
We understand that you may have children outside the 2-5-year-old range that need to come along with you to Polliwogs. You are welcome to keep them with you or for them to entertain themselves during the class. It is also fine with us if slightly older children participate.
When you register below, please register and pay for the number of children you expect to participate in the class each month! You can think about this through the lens of: will my child want to use the materials that they see the other kids using (magnifying lenses, eye droppers, stuffies)?
Registration Notes: *If you are purchasing tickets for multiple students, please write all of their names together in the same box, i.e. “Sam, Martie, and Alex Bradshaw” when registering. The form does not give you separate spaces to enter different names for each ticket.*
Cost: $90 per child ($75 for Friends of the Clifton Institute)
Age: Children ages 2-5, accompanied by a caregiver
Bring: Please bring a snack and drink. There will be a snack break.
Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall).
Registration is REQUIRED.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this series, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else. No refunds will be given upon registrant cancellation within 1 month of the program’s start date. No refunds will be given for any missed programs. You will be sent a liability waiver and medical form before the start of the program.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Nature Journaling Meetup
2025-11-01 13:00 - 15:30 | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in the area. Whether you have been nature journaling for years or have never nature journaled before but want to try it out, this event is for you! If you’d like to learn more about nature journaling you can check out our page here.
In November, we’ll be focusing on leaves! Eleanor will give a brief introduction to the biology of leaves and some ideas for how to include them in your nature journal. Then we’ll go out on the trail and sketch what we find.
Cost: Free!
Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring a journal and art supplies. Just a piece of paper and pencil will be enough. Eleanor will have a limited number of John Muir Laws’ nature journals for sale.
Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

26th Annual The Plains / Airlie Christmas Bird Count
2025-12-14 08:00 - 17:00 | The Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA, 20187, United States
Join us for the 26th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count this December! Our goal? Count as many birds as we can in our 15-mile-diameter count circle, which includes a variety of habitats–grasslands, forests, lakes, backyards, and even parking lots. There’s always a chance for Short-eared Owl and American Tree Sparrow, and counters get to explore parts of Fauquier county that they might not normally see. Most importantly, we will be contributing to an international community science project reaching back over 120 years which informs bird conservation in North America.
This event is for birders of any experience level. Participating in the Christmas Bird Count is a great way to learn about the winter birds of Virginia and get to know other birdwatchers in the area. In order to cover the entire circle we split into 9 teams. Each team is led by an experienced birder. If you are interested in leading a team, please email Bridget Bradshaw (bbradshaw@cliftoninstitute.org). Depending on the team, you may spend the day walking, driving, or both in order to cover your area. At the end of the day, teams are invited back to the peach farmhouse at Clifton for hot chili, cornbread, and drinks for our tally rally! This is where we have a chance to all get together, count up the birds from the day, and swap stories.
*Please note: Depending on which team you are assigned, you may NOT be meeting at the Clifton Institute in the morning. Team leaders will tell you when and where to meet at the start of the day, which is typically around sunrise.
Cost: Free!
Age: All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring binoculars if available.
Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall).
Registration is REQUIRED.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy. We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute!

Nature Journaling Meetup and Walk
2026-03-07 13:00 - 15:30 | VA
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in the area. Whether you have been nature journaling for years or have never nature journaled before but want to try it out, this event is for you! If you’d like to learn more about nature journaling you can check out our page here.
Cost: Free!
Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult.
Bring: Please bring a journal and art supplies. Just a piece of paper and pencil will be enough. Eleanor will have a limited number of John Muir Laws’ nature journals for sale.
Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event.
Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open your spot to someone else.
By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to our liability release policy.
We look forward to seeing you at the Clifton Institute
